Instructions as discriminative stimuli (2): A within-subject examination of the effect of differential reinforcement on establishing novel instructional control

Abstract

Six undergraduates were exposed to a fixed-ratio schedule with an instruction to respond slowly and to a differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate schedule with an instruction to respond rapidly when a white circle was presented on a display monitor. When a yellow circle was presented, however, the subjects were exposed to the fixed-ratio schedule with the instruction to respond rapidly and to the differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate schedule with the instruction to respond slowly. Following this, a fixed-interval schedule was in effect during those stimuli and instructions. Under the white circle, response rates were higher with the instruction to respond slowly than with the instruction to respond rapidly during the fixed-interval schedule. Such control by instructions was not observed under the yellow circle. A previous study examined establishment of novel instructional control by between-subject comparisons and found that for three of four subjects (Okouchi, 1999). In contrast, the present results demonstrate the instructional control through within-subject comparisons for all six subjects.